Dental amalgam mixer



E. J. KRESSE 'DEN'IIAL AMALGAM MIXER Filed Dec. 29, 1941 ffow Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFlCE DENTAL AMALGAM MIXER Edward J. Kresse, Denver, Colo.

Application December 29, 1941, Serial No. 424,789

2 Claims. (01. 259-72) This invention relates to a dental amalgam mill and has for its principal object the provision of a simple, highly efiicient device which can be detachably applied to the power unit of a standard electrical vibrating toothbrush so as to employ the vibrations thereof to mill and amalgamate the alloy metal.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which will function with maximum speed and maximum efficiency; in which the alloy and mercury can be quickly and easily placed in or removed from the mill; and with which the progress of the mixing operation will be visible to the user at all times.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Likenu-' merals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the improved amalgam mill in place on the power unit of a typical electrical toothbrush;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the amalgam cup employed in the device, partially broken away to illustrate the wall construction thereof;

Fig. 3 illustrates the two milling rollers employed in the amalgam cup;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the cap employed for closing the amalgam cup, in this view the cap is partially broken away to illustrate the interior' construction thereof; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the amalgam cup with the cap removed, illustrating the milling rollers in place therein.

In Fig. 1, the motor or power unit of a typical electrical toothbrush is indicated at I!) with tis electrical cord at H and its tubular brush receiving shank at l2.

The improved mill is preferably moulded from a transparent plastic such as Lumerith. It comprises a mixing cup 13 having a closed end M from the middle of which a stem I5 projects. The other end of the cup is normally open. The cup is moulded with an oval cross section, that is, it is of greater width in one direction than in the other and its narrow sides are preferably rounded, as shown in Fig. 5.

The stem I5 is moulded with a protruding,

notch I! with which the shanks l2 of typical electric toothbrushes are provided.

Two milling rollers l8, having a length equal to the depth of the cup l3, are employed therein. The cup is closed by means of a transparent cap I 9 of a size and shape to snugly receive the open extremity of the cup l3 so as to effectively seal the latter by frictional engagement therewith.

In use, a desired quantity of amalgam forming ingredients is placed in the cup. The two rollers are dropped therein and the cap I 9 is firmly positioned thereon. The stem I5 is then slipped into the extremity of the brush shank l2 and the cord ll connected with a suitable source of electrical power.

The power unit l9 vibrates the shank l2 with a rapid lateral, oscillating motion which swings the cup at exceedingly high speed in an oval path causing the rollers l8 to travel around the inner wall thereof. The rollers by their contact with the wall and their contacts with each other rapidly pound, mash, blend, and intermix the amalgam materials. The mixed amalgam can be poured or shaken from the open extremity of the cup upon removal of the cap l9.

The materials are placed in the mill by employing the cup as a scoop to scoop them from the palm of the hand. The notch ll of a typical toothbrush power unit is positioned on the side thereof which is at right angles to the plane of greatest vibration and the flat side of the oval cup is placed opposite the spline 16. This places the long axis of the oval cup in the plane of greatest vibration of the power unit so that a maximum mixing action is had.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dental amalgam mill for attachment to electric toothbrush power units of the type having a hollow, notched, vibrating shank c0mprising: a cup; a fiat bottom in said cup having two straight, parallel sides joined by semi-circular ends; a stem projecting from the middle of one face said bottom of a diameter to snugly fit within the hollow vibrating shank; a wall arising from the peripheral edge of the other face of said bottom, said wall outlining two flat sides and lon itudinal spline 6 whi h fi in a receiving two semi-circular ends corresponding to the contour of the bottom; a flanged cap fitted over the open end of said cup and frictionally engaging said wall; and two solid cylindrical rollers loosely carried within said cup, said rollers having a length substantially equal to the height of said wall and diameter slightly less than that of the semi-circular ends of said wall.

2. A dental amalgam mill for attachment to electric toothbrush power units of the type having a hollow, notched, vibrating shank comprising: a cup; a flat bottom in said cup having two straight, parallel sides joined by semi-circular ends; a stem projecting from the middle of one face said bottom of a diameter to snugly fit within the hollow vibrating shank; a spline ex- 7 tending from said bottom along said .stem and terminating intermediate the length thereof to engage in the notch in said shank; a wall arising from the peripheral edge of the other face of said bottom, said wall outlining two flat sides and two semi-circular ends corresponding to the contour of the bottom; a flanged cap fitted over the open end of said cup and frictionally engaging said wall; and two solid cylindrical rollers loosely carried within said cup, said rollers having a length substantially equal to the height of said wall and diameter slightly less than that of the semi-circular ends of said wall, said spline being positioned to place the greatest width of said cup in the direction of greatest vibration.

EDWARD J. KRESSE. 

